It’s the start of Season 2 here on The Prancing Pony Podcast as we start discussing the book that first introduced Middle-earth to the world: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit! In this episode, we look at the novel’s composition, publication and lasting legacy. Alan and Shawn share their personal stories about reading The Hobbit for the first time, and talk about the Professor’s surprising genealogy in a welcome return of the Tolkien Fun Fact segment. Plus, learn how young Christopher Tolkien’s attention to detail tended to confusticate and bebother his father.
To see an authentic (championship-level) match of the UK pub game Aunt Sally — to which one reviewer compared Tolkien’s use of conflict in the plot of The Hobbit —see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXybxupIr1o. (Seriously, you should watch it.)
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Recommended Reading:
Tolkien, J.R.R. and Douglas A. Anderson, ed. The Annotated Hobbit (HarperCollins, hardcover)
Carpenter, Humphrey. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography (Houghton Mifflin, paperback)
Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (Mariner Books, paperback)
Olsen, Corey. Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (Mariner Books, paperback)
Rateliff, John D. The History of the Hobbit (HarperCollins, one-volume hardcover)
Thanks for making my evening jogs so entertaining. You two put in an astonishing amount of work and it is appreciated!
I was visiting the Tolkien Archives at Marquette University last week and the archivist recommended this book (https://www.amazon.com/Arda-Reconstructed-Creation-Published-Silmarillion/dp/1611460891/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512401404&sr=8-1&keywords=arda+reconstructed). It seemed provocative and interesting. I though you might like to look at it.
Cheers to you!
Tamsin
Thank you, Tamsin! I’ve heard of this book, but I have not read it yet. I’m not sure if Alan has, but it’s one we should certainly take a look at and add to our bookshelves. We appreciate the tip, and thank you for your kind words!
Shawn